Project Sirius faces another setback as CD Projekt reshapes development

Project Sirius, the planned multiplayer game set in The Witcher universe, has been affected by another round of staff changes. Nine team members were reportedly dismissed, while a further nine were moved to other roles within CD Projekt as the company undertakes a broader shift in development strategy.

The project has remained relatively mysterious since it was first announced in October 2022. It is being developed by CD Projekt Red Boston, the studio formed after CD Projekt absorbed The Molasses Flood. That team previously created The Flame in the Flood, a 2016 roguelike, and the 2020 survival-action game Drake Hollow.

What is Project Sirius?

CD Projekt executive Adam Kiciński described Project Sirius as a Witcher-universe game aimed at a wider audience than the company’s earlier releases. The plan included both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. At the time of its announcement, more than 60 developers were working on the project, which was still in pre-production.

The first major disruption arrived in 2023. CD Projekt said development had been restarted from the beginning, alongside the loss of 29 jobs. Chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz said the company preferred to reassess costs and direction early rather than continue with a project that was not on the right course.

“It’s better to cut costs early – and even restart if needed – than to carry on,” Nielubowicz said at the time.

That reset was presented as part of a willingness to experiment with a new design and a newer studio within the CD Projekt group. However, the latest cuts suggest that the game’s direction remains subject to change. A recent report said development had been progressing relatively well after changes made in the preceding spring, before the newest staff reductions.

A crowded Witcher development slate

CD Projekt recruited Destiny 2 writer Kwan Perng as the project’s lead writer in May. Even with that addition, Project Sirius is competing for attention within a particularly busy portfolio.

The multiplayer project was announced alongside Project Polaris, the first entry in a new Witcher trilogy. The opening game in that trilogy is The Witcher 4, announced at The Game Awards in December 2024. CD Projekt has said it intends to release the three games across a six-year period, an ambitious schedule for a major role-playing series.

Other Witcher work includes The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, described as a downloadable expansion scheduled for 2027, and a remake of the original The Witcher. CD Projekt Red is also developing Project Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, following years of post-launch work on that game.

Beyond those projects is Project Hadar, a separate intellectual property being created from the ground up. CD Projekt has said it is still at the earliest creative stage, with work focused on establishing the setting rather than developing a game.

What happens next?

There is no confirmed release date or detailed gameplay information for Project Sirius. The combination of its 2023 restart, staff losses and the latest internal moves makes its future difficult to assess. For now, the game remains one of several long-term projects competing within CD Projekt’s expanding development slate.

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